Throughout life, the majority of us will be affected by anxiety in one way or another. For some of us it is just a minor blip to our normal, everyday life. However, for others it can be all encompassing and quite literally take control of our lives, sometimes without us even knowing it.
Deciding to put drug and alcohol use behind you can be a challenging and overwhelming experience. The process usually begins with a detox program. Now remember… staying clean is the hard part! After detox, you must choose between in-patient vs out-patient programs. Both approaches are extremely beneficial but require a significant commitment in order to STAY clean.
In-patient
On the in-patient side, treatment typically takes place in our 5-star ranch-style residential facility. The individual stays in the facility for the duration of their treatment. While there, they participate in a range of therapies, such as… Continue reading “In-Patient vs Out-Patient”
Less than one third of individuals who experience psychological distress seek help from a mental health professional.
What are the roadblocks individuals face when contemplating counseling?
Access to mental health care can improve lives and communities. It can dramatically improve mental and physical health problems, and reduce the risk of family conflict, employment issues, substance abuse, and suicide.
To increase the use of mental health counseling and treatment services, we must first understand the avoidance factors that prevent people from seeking professional help. Continue reading “Common Barriers to Counselling”
For thousands of years, people have used art as a form of self-expression, a way to process and communicate their emotional truths to the world. Creative expression is a fundamental part of the human experience, and increasingly it’s being recognized for its therapeutic benefit.
Art therapy is a therapeutic technique that encourages individuals to express their thoughts and feelings through creativity rather than speech, to improve their physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Do you know someone whose life is in a constant state of chaos? For whom everything is a crisis.
Perhaps this is you?
Chaos addicts are more common than you think.
Signs You’re Addicted to Drama
Are you struggling to find the balance between career and family? You’re not alone. 58% of Canadians report feeling overloaded with the responsibilities of managing work life with home, family, friends, community, and their own physical and mental well-being.
We’ve all faced the challenge of time management at one point or another, but as the length of the average workday increases, commute times rise, and new technologies make it easier to stay connected, the balance between work and the rest of our lives has become even more difficult to maintain.
Take a moment and ask yourself: Could I handle doing a 30-day social media detox?
Has your use of social media sites:
Do any of these apply to you? If so, it may be time to consider taking a break from social media.
Impulsivity and compulsivity are natural behaviours that are essential for human survival. Being impulsive is acting on instinct. Being compulsive is acting upon an irresistible urge. While similar sounding, these two behaviours differ in intent. Impulsive behaviour is action without thought, compulsive behaviour is premeditated.
For some, impulsive or compulsive behaviour becomes an addiction, leading to serious mental health disorders that take control of their lives. Learning to recognize these behaviours, their causes, and the disorders associated, can better educate us about the mental health challenges facing our community, and help end the stigma surrounding mental health disorders.
Self-harm, also known as self-injury, or self-mutilation occurs when someone intentionally harms themselves as a way of expressing or dealing with emotional distress and pain.
Examples of self-harm include:
Self-harm can also include less obvious ways of hurting yourself like binge drinking, taking drugs, having unsafe sex, or committing illegal acts.
Everyday we hear people talking about different mental health disorders, but how many of us know what they truly mean? To help clarify, the following are definitions of some of the most common mental health conditions.
Addiction is a brain disorder characterized by a compulsive desire to do or to have something despite harmful consequences.
Anxiety is an intense feeling of fear, worry, nervousness, or unease caused by the anticipation of an imminent event or situation with an uncertain outcome.
Not all stress is bad. A little stress can help you stay focused, energetic, and able to meet new challenges in the workplace. But when stress becomes persistent and exceeds your ability to cope, it can interfere with your productivity and performance, and be harmful to your physical and emotional health.
While many people gamble recreationally without developing a problem, for some gambling can become an unhealthy obsession with serious consequences.
Gambling addiction is an impulse control disorder. A highly addictive activity that’s promise of easy money can quickly lead to financial ruin.
Unless you or a loved one has a history of substance abuse, it’s hard to understand the true nature of addiction. Without personal experience, people often fill their knowledge gap with presumptions, speculation, rumour, and conjecture, creating myths about addiction, and the recovery process that overshadow facts. So, let’s clear the air. The following are some of the most common myths about substance abuse, addiction, and recovery, and the real facts everyone should know.
Watching your child grow, and helping them to develop, is one of the great joys of parenthood. But while providing for your child’s physical needs is fairly straightforward, providing for their emotional growth, can be less clear.
Evidence shows that fostering a child’s emotional growth through strong family relationships and open and honest communication, has a positive effect on their mental health. Good mental health allows children to understand and manage their emotions, make smart decisions, develop socially, and learn new skills. Nurturing your child’s mental health from infancy will also prepare them for the many challenges that lie ahead: school tests; peer pressure; bullying; dating; and the other trials of growing up.
To provide a solid foundation your child’s emotional growth, practice these eight proven tips for nurturing a child’s mental health.
Long-term drug and alcohol abuse causes significant stress and damage to an addict’s mind and body. Malnutrition, abscesses, gastrointestinal issues, heart problems, organ and tissue damage, depression, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts are just some of the many health issues addicts face. Proper nutrition can help heal the effects of chronic substance abuse; restoring physical and mental health, and improving a patient’s odds of recovery.
Eating disorders are serious mental health illnesses defined by abnormal eating habits that can have a profoundly negative affect a person’s physical and psychological health.
People with eating disorders become obsessed with food and their body weight. Whether the eating disorder manifests as eating too little, or too much, individuals with eating disorders use their preoccupation with food to create a sense of control over their lives, and to distract themselves from the painful emotions that are at the root of the condition.
The National Council on Sex Addiction and Compulsivity defines sexual addiction as “engaging in persistent and escalating patterns of sexual behaviour acted out despite increasingly negative consequences to self and others.”
However, there is considerable debate among health professionals whether sexual addiction is truly an addiction or rather a compulsive behaviour. In fact, to date sexual addiction is not an official clinical diagnosis.
Part of the challenge in defining sexual addiction are the religious and cultural influences on the societal norms surrounding sexual behaviour. How do we objectively distinguish sexual addiction from a high sex drive?
Do you get angry when stuck in traffic, or when a friend is late for a date? Do you often lose your patience when your child misbehaves? You may need some assistance with anger management.
We all get angry sometimes. Anger is a normal and even healthy emotion, but it must be dealt with in an appropriate, safe, and healthy way. Anger expressed positively, will increase your serenity, your energy, and your intimacy with the people you care about.
To learn more about Anger Management and how you can best express your anger, listen to Yonah Budd’s audio lecture: Road to Recovery -The Truth About Anger.
Attending parties and events can be one of the most difficult and stressful challenges for people in recovery and should be avoided during the first six months of sobriety. But as you gain confidence in your recovery, attending social functions or having an evening out with trusted friends and family can bring a sense of normalcy and help you feel less isolated.
Contrary to popular belief, your life doesn’t have to become boring or routine when you get sober. The party doesn’t have to end just because you can’t drink or use drugs. The key is to party smart.
Depression is one of the most common mental health illnesses in Canada. According to the Ministry for Health and Long-Term Care, an estimated 1 in 4 Canadians will experience a degree of depression serious enough to require treatment at some time in their life.
Depression can take many forms, and it’s important to make the distinction between clinical depression and situational depression. Clinical depression is a medical diagnosis of acute depression often caused by a chemical imbalance. Treatment requires regular therapy with a certified professional and in most cases prescription intervention. Situational depression is caused by our reaction to external stress factors. Symptoms are mild or moderate compared to clinical depression and can usually be managed with talk therapy and natural treatment methods.